We’ve been to Palm Springs, California many times and it’s always such a wonderful visit. Palm Springs is probably the most welcoming, LGBTQ inclusive city we’ve ever been to (on par with San Francisco) and with the beautiful weather and so many fun things to do, it ranks in our top ten favorite destinations in the USA. And something awesome about visiting Palm Springs is that you also have the ability to visit the other small towns of the Coachella Valley including Palm Desert, Joshua Tree, Indio, Coachella and more.
Have you gotten to spend any time exploring Palm Springs and the surrounding area? If not, consider this your invitation to plan a trip, either for a weekend or for a week. We’ve got a whole lot of activities, both out on adventures and taking it easy in the heat. You’ll see that Palm Springs is more than a vacation destination for the fancy Hollywood folks but that it’s welcoming and doable for all kinds of visitors. If you have any questions about planning a trip to Palm Springs or need more recommendations, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great adventure!
Highlights of a Trip to Palm Springs
Since the very first time we visited Palm Springs 20 years ago it’s felt different than almost any other place we’ve been in the United States. California in general is a very welcoming place, in particular for the LGBTQ community, but Palm Springs is even more so. While yes, there are quite a few gay bars in Palm Springs, that’s not everyone’s scene or where everybody wants to go, but beyond these the LGBTQ inclusivity goes much deeper. There are community groups and organizations, celebrations, visual representation and more. You’ll hear people say things about “it doesn’t matter if you’re gay; love is love” which is great, but here it’s much more “it does matter that you’re gay because we want to go out of our way to ensure that you feel welcome and respected at every level.”
Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley value humans, resident or visitor, as an important part of their world. You’ve got an amazing indigenous community present nearly everywhere. The LGBTQ community from all around the world comes here. Los Angelinos and granola trekkers come here for Joshua Tree National Park. And then you’ve got hippie kids and music fans pouring into Indio for the Coachella Music Festival and so many more. Palm Springs is representative of what an American town could and should be. Of course it’s got its own problems, but every town does and when you consider visiting all of the different places you could choose, Palm Springs wins at inclusivity and diversity. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that.
When it comes to things to do and see, I think Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley are an absolute cornucopia of activities. Sure, you can visit for the art and the architecture (I love all the Mid-century Modern) but you can also come here for the endless hiking. When we lived in SoCal we would come to Palm Springs for the awesome hiking and natural areas. It’s just such a cool area to explore and is great for having a busy, active trip or just relaxing and enjoying the vibes.
Weather When you Visit Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
Y’all, it’s hot in Palm Springs 99% of the year. We’ve been in the dead of winter and in the peak of summer and it’s hot. Yes, in the winter months it’s a pleasant 75-85 degrees F, but that can still feel toasty. And yes, it gets COLD at night to a level that you may be stunned how freezing it is if you’re out in the middle of the night stargazing or you’re up early for a run. In the summertime the temps stay in the 90-110 range with it cooling off significantly in October. It can get even hotter in July and August, and in my opinion it’s too difficult to manage being in Palm Springs during these peak temperatures.
My favorite time to visit is in March and April when it’s wonderfully warm, there’s been some rain, and the spring Super Bloom is happening in the valleys and in Joshua Tree National Park. Something else that’s nice about visiting in the spring and early summer is that because of the rains earlier in the year, the streams in the canyons have more water in them, making it a magical place. You can read about this below, but it’s something to consider when you’re planning your trip to Palm Springs and all the things you want to do.
Where to Stay Around Palm Springs
Choosing where to stay in Palm Springs really does depend on what you want to do during your stay and what’s most important to you. Do you want to be downtown and be able to walk to restaurants and museums, or maybe you don’t care about that and just want to be someplace extra quiet that really has the desert vibe? You’ll have your pick from hotels and vacation rentals in the heart of Palm Springs to grand luxury resorts in La Quinta or Palm Desert. You should choose your accommodations based on how you want to spend your downtime (non activity time).
Here are my thoughts on how to choose your Palm Springs hotel…
- If you’re hiking and doing Joshua Tree and the other towns of the Coachella Valley, book something that’s all about your budget and that you’ll be excited to return to at the end of your day (nice room, good pool area…).
- If you want to be fully into Palm Springs mode, choose a hotel that’s just off Palm Canyon Dr or Indian Canyon Dr in the downtown core.
- For a boutique stay such as a wellness retreat or a gay resort, you’ll have options both directly in Palm Springs and in the surrounding towns like Desert Hot Springs and La Quinta.
We’ve stayed in Palm Springs, La Quinta and Palm Desert, and of them, I enjoy the ease of walking around in Palm Springs and Palm Desert the most, but you do you! Our most recent stay brought us to the Hilton Palm Springs Resort and the Hotel Paseo in Palm Desert, but the BW Plus Las Brisas downtown has been wonderful in the past, and staying at the luxurious La Quinta Resort was amazing.
Things to Do for a Trip to Palm Springs
Now, keep in mind that our picks for the best things to do around Palm Springs include a lot of activity. You can always tone down our plans by adding time by the pool, treating yourself to a spa day, visiting Desert Hot Springs for a soak or just walking around town. We love the diversity of the landscapes and the science all around, so visiting Palm Springs for us is always about exploring as much of the Coachella Valley as possible.
Hiking the Palm Springs, aka Indian Canyons
Since our very first visit to Palm Springs hiking at Indian Canyons has been our absolute favorite activity. It’s such a beautiful and unique sort of hiking. The reason the city is called Palm Springs is because of the oases around the town, from here in Indian Canyons to the Séc-he spring downtown, the oases along the San Andres Fault to the hot springs north of town. Funny story: my Uber driver that picked me up after a day of hiking on my most recent visit grew up in Palm Springs… and had never been to Indian Canyons or knew that there were actual springs and oases here. She was stunned to learn of its existence.
Hiking at Indian Canyons, which is owned and managed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, is like hiking in another world as you navigate through dense palm forests and along creeks. The hiking here is unquestionably one of the best things to do in Palm Springs. It’s easy for me, a fit hiker, to tell everyone to head out to Indian Canyons and do four miles of hiking in the desert, but I know that’s not how everyone is able to travel. Have no fear!
There are other options besides doing the Palm Canyon hike (my top pick). You can head to the Visitor Center at Indian Canyons and be able to take in the canyon and its incredible palm oasis from above, and if you can do a little hiking, just do the trail down to the canyon floor so you can stand amidst the amazing trees. Another easy access, and indeed a wheelchair accessible option is to visit the Andreas Canyon area. Here you can drive right up to the picnic area where the water is always flowing and the palm trees line the stream. It’s gorgeous and whether you can do the hike or not, you’ll be amazed by these oases in the desert. .
TIP: hiking at Indian Canyons is best in the winter and spring after there’s been some rain, but even when it’s dry the canyons are awesome. Andreas Canyon always has flowing water, so if Palm Canyon is dry during your visit, pop to the other trail to enjoy an oasis hike.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Everyone knows that this history of indigenous Americans is rough and so much of it has been lost through the US government’s forceful “progress” over the centuries. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have built an incredible museum that tells their story, honors their traditions, showcases their artifacts and addresses the harsh history of the Coachella Valley. When you visit the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum you get the very recent history paired with appreciation of the past.
Even if this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea when you visit Palm Springs, it’s one of the best ways to get an understanding of place when you’re here. The USA is all taken land and as travelers everyone has a duty to pay respect to the people whose land they’re on, whether you understand the reservation system and history or not. You know white people took advantage of indigenous peoples all across the country, so take an hour or two to sit in that discomfort and hone your empathy and understanding. You’ll be so glad you did, especially when you start exploring beyond downtown Palm Springs and you see how beautiful of a place it is.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Mt San Jacinto State Park
We do gondolas wherever we can, whether it’s to the top of a ski resort in the summer like at Mammoth Mountain or if it’s in Alaska to a cultural learning center like the Goldbelt Tram in Juneau. We love the views and the feeling of flight, and then there’s always something wonderful at the top. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway really is cool and you’ll actually be surprised how comprehensive of an experience it is. One of the best things to do in Palm Springs, the tramway has a theater at the top (educational), the Mount San Jacinto State Park visitor center, a cafe, a restaurant and bar, and an awesome trail system. On top of that, you have several different viewpoints just from the top of the tramway line that you can enjoy and see far off in any direction.
Get Palm Springs Aerial Tramway tickets here!
So, this is going to sound kind of funny, but one of the things that’s really fun about doing the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is actually the music on the way up and down. I talk about vibes a lot, and the vibe of the gondola up the mountain starts as a serious trip for the beauty, but by the top the car is singing together and being friendly. On the way back down, OMG, maybe it was our specific group or our tramway operator, but it was a a complete karaoke concert down the mountain. It was the most fun I’ve had with a big group of strangers ever.
Tip: if you can head up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway early in the day and bring your lunch and lots of water, the hikes into Mount San Jacinto State Park are really beautiful, and while you’re departing from the desert, when you get to the top and hit the trails, you start to descend into some of the most beautiful pine forests in California and it’s a wonderful break from the arid landscapes of the Coachella Valley.
Joshua Tree National Park
It’s always interesting to me to learn what others know about different places, and just like how many people don’t know about the actual palm springs in Palm Springs, so many people don’t know that this is actually where you’ll find Joshua Tree National Park! Joshua Tree is such an unusual park and it’s one of the most interesting activities to add to your Palm Springs trip.
So what is it that makes a visit to Joshua Tree NP so great? Its unique trees (the Joshua Tree), boulderous landscapes and unusual features make it unlike any other National Park in the USA. It’s not really comparable to Saguaro National Park in Tucson or the Utah National Parks. It’s a desert, but its features are visually and geologically so different. When you visit you need to bring enough water for everyone (and over estimate it!) and be prepared to have a day without any services… including cell service. You can do hikes or the nature trails, you can go bouldering, stroll around the cholla garden (said choy-ya; this is a cactus grove), or if you’re really lucky you can enjoy the superbloom (springtime during some years). Visiting Joshua Tree National Park is good for just a one day trip as part of your time in Palm Springs, and you can see a lot of it during that time.
Tip: for an added experience, you can be a part of a stargazing tour (or bring your own gear). We got to spend an evening with Joshua Tree Astronomy Adventures and they showed up with telescopes, binoculars, blankets, chairs and hot cocoa. It’s a pretty cool experience. Check them out on Tripadvisor!
Red Jeep Tour into the Canyons
Not all of the amazing landscapes and natural wonders are in Indian Canyons or Joshua Tree NP. The area around Palm Springs is where the famous San Andreas Fault runs, and this makes for some really cool geology to explore. Red Jeep Tours, based out of nearby Palm Desert, takes visitors out onto private property that’s been preserved, including oases and canyons.
Besides not wanting to get a flat tire myself driving off-road in the desert, having access to these protected areas is really special. We stopped at a palm oasis on the San Andreas Fault and learned about the way the plants and soil are impacted by this giant crack in the earth’s crust. We trekked through washes and canyons, including getting out and exploring the slot canyons. We got to hear about all kinds of science and history of the Coachella Valley. The Red Jeep Tour was half geology field trip and half expedition into the desert. Loved it!
Coachella Valley Preserve
Another awesome natural wonder in the Palm Springs area, the Coachella Valley Preserve / Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve is gorgeous and perfect for getting the oasis experience without doing a big hike. From the parking area you can simply walk down the hill a little ways along the boardwalks and be in a dense palm forest. It’s pretty beautiful, and is actually quite different from the oases you find in the Indian Canyons. Google Maps link here
If you are prepared for a hike and want another unique, dreamy sight, continue on beyond the main oasis of the Coachella Valley Preserve area to the trail that leads to Simone Pond. I love this hike, and it’s one of my favorite hikes in Palm Springs in general because it mixes the desert, the washes, an oasis and an quiet pond area full of wildlife. When you get out to Simone Pond, look for owls, rabbits, bobcats and birds. The water is wonderfully blue and the setting is unlike any other place we’ve been in Southern California.
Hike Tahquitz Canyon and Bird Watching
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has another amazing natural wonder besides Indian Canyons, and it’s also open to the public. Tahquitz Canyon is just off downtown Palm Springs and is actually walking distance if you wanted to. Here you’ll find a visitor center and then a beautiful loop trail that leads though some rugged canyon terrain to the end where there is a 60 foot tall waterfall… when there’s water. In the spring and after a good rain, Tahquitz Canyon has an awesome waterfall at the end of it, making it one of the prettiest sights in Palm Springs. Even in the summer there’s a little bit of water and there’s a splash pool full of frogs, but winter and spring are the best times to do the hike for the waterfall.
If it’s dry, the hike is still really great, as it’s not too difficult and Tahquitz Canyon is very dramatic. Something else that’s maybe even more incredible than the geology and waterfall is actually the hummingbird population in Tahquitz Canyon. During just 90 minutes in the canyon I saw so many different hummingbird species: Anna’s, Rivoli, Xantus’s, Costa’s and maybe others (I’m not the world’s best birder). Really, hiking Tahquitz Canyon is one of the best things to do in Palm Springs in any season to get a healthy dose of nature.
Palm Springs Architecture Tour
The Mid-century Modern architecture (MCM) of Palm Springs is one of the things that draws people to visit and even move here. I get it and I really love it too. You can explore Palm Springs on your own or with an architecture tour to check out the beautiful, unique Mid-century homes all around the city and even into Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.
With all of these beautiful homes and buildings, you have to know that the LGBTQ community has a hand in the preservation and sharing of this unique art (yes, architecture is very much art). From Modernism Week (February annually) to Drag & Fly Tours (drag queen led tours, Book it here!) the LGBTQ community is at the heart of sharing the beauty and fun of everything MCM. We went out with the head of Modernism Week and learned so much about the many homes, the growth of the MCM architectural movement and the LGBTQ influences on Palm Springs over the years. It’s such a cool facet of this wonderful town.
Enjoy Indio, Coachella and their Public Art
I harp on Instagram a lot for what it’s done to peoples’ ability to just enjoy being in a place without needing to turn everything into a photoshoot, but I will say that one positive thing that’s come from the Insta-boom is the civic understanding of the need for public art and making blank or industrial walls more beautiful. It employs artists, brings people to places they might not normally visit, and it breathes life into neighborhoods. The towns of Coachella and Indio GET IT.
These two wonderful towns are absolutely full of public art, street art. From murals to sculptures, mosaics to photo spots, Coachella and Indio have absolutely embraced the need for public art and have given local artists the chance to create large, beautiful pieces of art telling different parts of the towns’ stories. Walking around in downtown Coachella, there are no fewer than 10 murals within a two block radius, all highlighting different elements of either the indigenous, immigrant, or desert life. There’s also a 1000+ foot concrete wall here in Coachella that’s covered with murals by many artists telling stories from civil rights to Latino cultural vignettes. Amazing.
In Indio, you’ll find tons of murals all around the downtown space, a colorful INDIO sign photo op, Happy Alley with its colorful umbrellas and murals, and then of course, the giant pieces of art from the Coachella Music Festival. Public art has really livened up both towns in recent years and I am here for it!
Agritourism and Date Farming
The Coachella Valley is basically the produce aisle of America. Some of the hardest working people call it home and make it so that we can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables across the country all year long. And one of the unique crops that comes from the Palm Springs area is actually dates. I love dates and 95% of the dates consumed in the USA come from here! Whether you’re just stopping into Shields Date Garden to buy some to bring home or to get a date shake (it’s not for everyone) or if you’re visiting one of the many date farms, it’s always good to see where your food comes from and appreciate the people doing the hard work.
I got to visit Aziz Farms where they produce, not just dates, but all kinds of vegetables for California’s school lunch programs and local produce sellers. It’s amazing to spend an afternoon engaging in agritourism and getting a bit more appreciation of how we’re able to enjoy fresh, healthy food at home.
BONUS: Moorten Botanical Garden and Palm Springs Art Museum
Of course there are so many more things to do in Palm Springs and all around the Coachella Valley. You could easily spend two weeks exploring and relaxing and still have more to do. If you need a few more activities to add to your time, specifically in Palm Springs, check out the Moorten Botanical Garden and the Palm Springs Art and Architecture Museums.
Starting with the Moorten Botanical Garden, this place is really cool and not at all what you’re expecting. I hear “botanical garden” and I think of the Desert Botanical Gardens in Tempe AZ or the National Botanical Garden in Washington DC: they’re grand, expansive, detailed. The Moorten Botanical Garden is an incredible collection of cactus and succulents, accumulated over time and growing in, what I would call, a desert hacienda / house of curios. I love it and its wildness.
The Palm Springs Art Musuem is downtown and full of color, form, and LGBTQ+ stories. It’s a beautiful collection that personifies Palm Springs and its people. Add one more stop at the architecture arm of the Palm Springs Art Museum to round out the day or to put a cap on everything you saw and learned about on your architecture tour.
Can you see why we love Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley so much? We’ve gotten to spend a lot of time here and feel that it truly is one of the most welcoming, inclusive, exciting destinations in the USA. We’re happy to shout its praise from the rooftops.
If you have any questions about visiting Palm Springs, the things to do, or just planning a trip to the greater Palm Springs area, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help others put together a fun, unforgettable trip to this awesome part California.
